At CES 2007 today, Netgear announced the Digital Entertainer HD (EVA8000), a media receiver that allows users to stream a wide variety of digital content to their entertainment systems, including HD movies, iTunes content (on Windows machines only), and even YouTube videos, as well as record television content like a digital video recorder. You can stream content from networked PCs, network-attached storage devices, and even locally connected USB media devices.

Connected to your home entertainment system and your network router, the Digital Entertainer HD sucks in all the multimedia content on your network--including photos, videos, and music--from multiple machines and … Read more

Toshiba will deliver 13 new HDTVs in its Regza line of LCD flat-panel models in 2007, including some as large as 52 and 57 inches.

The company highlighted five updated technologies that it hopes will distinguish its Regza LCDs from the increasingly fierce competition in the flat-panel arena. Among them: PixelPure3G (14-bit video processing designed to eliminate banding artifacts and offer improved video noise reduction); DynaLight (dynamic backlight adjustment, designed to optimize contrast); ColorBurst (wider color gamut); ClearFrame (120Hz screen refresh rate, which is said to diminish motion blur without adding flicker or reducing brightness); and CE-Link (HDMI-based control codes … Read more

In a smart move, Philips is shifting away from plasma and focusing almost exclusively on LCD TVs in 2007. The notable exception is its moderately priced ($3,500) 63-inch plasma TV, which has more potential than the company's earlier 42- and 50-inch plasma TVs that had to go head-to-head against Panasonic's highly regarded models.

According to Philips, its new Ambilight LCD FlatTVs "range in size from 32- to 52-inches (32PFL7332, 42PFL7432D, 42PFL9832D, 47PFL9732D, 47PFL7432D and 52PFL7432D). The 42-, 47-, and 52-inch models now boast 1080p resolution, Perfect Pixel HD Engine to maximize 1080p content for the best … Read more

Ever wanted to connect a video component to a monitor or a projector on the other side of the room but didn't want to run an expensive, unsightly HDMI cable to it? Well, Philips has introduced a set of wireless HDMI "cables" that will allegedly hit stores midyear, with a $300 price tag. I know it sounds a little contradictory to call cables wireless, but hey, I don't write the press releases or name the products.

I guess the point is in order to go the wireless HDMI route you will to connect a transceiver to … Read more

SanDisk just announced the Sansa Connect, which serves to prove that my earlier prediction about wireless MP3 players at CES was correct. Oh, how I do love to be right--especially about a cool device like the Connect.

This sleek MP3 player uses built-in wireless technology (802.11g, to be exact) to hop onto any available hot spots, allowing the user to grab music and photos without connecting to a PC. It is designed to work with online music services (specifics are yet to be determined), meaning you could potentially find and buy a song from just about anywhere (Starbucks comes … Read more

In 2006, we saw a few portable DVD players that integrated an iPod dock so you could playback your iPod videos on the DVD player's larger screen. But Philips has taken iPod integration to a slicker level with two upcoming portable DVD players, the DCP750 and DCP850. Both are wide-screen models that feature 7- and 8.5-inch swiveling screens, respectively. Philips says they'll also have a built-in SD and MMC card reader, and both players will debut in the "first quarter" of 2007 with suggested retail price tags of $149 and $199.

They won't offer … Read more

I know it's only the first day, but I'm prepared to call the Best of CES awards. Top prize among the lucky press-badge holders in the crowd goes to (drumroll, please) the free Toshiba press bag.

See, here's what happens. Every year, we come to CES, and we get a giveaway schwag bag. I've written about this before, and in the past, they've been hideously colored rolly bags, Volkswagen-size messenger bags, or otherwise acceptable bags so plastered with giant logos that they render even the hippest attendee a total trade-show dork. But this year, Toshiba'… Read more

Toshiba has expanded its lineup of HD DVD players from two to three with the newly announced HD-A20. The new model sits between the already available second-generation players, the $500 HD-A2 and the $1,000 HD-XA2. In fact, except for the addition of 1080p output via HDMI and some minor cosmetic changes, the features of the A20 seem to be nearly identical to the A2, which we've already reviewed in depth. Moreover, unlike the stepped-up HD-XA2, the A20 will not feature the latest HDMI 1.3 technology. The Toshiba HD-A20 will retail for $600 when it ships in spring … Read more

Vizio is making news at CES 2007 with a $3,000 60-inch plasma TV, but Philips has a big-screen plasma model of its own that it's going to price very aggressively at $3,500 (MSRP) when it arrives in stores in June. At 63 inches, the Philips 63PFP7422D is actually bigger and features 1080p resolution, USB connectivity for displaying digital photo slide shows and MP3 playback, and a motorized swiveling stand. That $3,500 is a suggested retail price, so we expect the real price to be even lower, possibly closer to $3,000. Of course, the Vizio will … Read more